Parenting Our Kids
Giving Time - Teaching Skills for Life

Chores for kids

by Meredith

Not paid for chores here I remember thinking my parents only had my kids to be their servants. It seemed we did everything. While the list seemed long at the time, now that I have kids of my own, I must admit we had it pretty easy.
My kids are five and seven and have been helping since they were two.
They currently keep their own rooms clean – I ask they do it once a week. They also keep their bathroom tidy. I do the deep cleaning, but they are capable of hanging up the towels and shaking the rugs. They also help set and clear the table, empty part of the dishwasher, feed the dog and give her water and put away their laundry. We don’t pay their allowance based on chores. I think everyone needs to help to keep our house running smooth. I do feel that this is a big job though and a reward certainly helps motivate the troops without me having to yell.
We call Saturdays the Family Fun Day and before we do something fun like go bowling or hiking, we spend an hour or so in the morning getting all the left over chores done. Meredith

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Chores for kids

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Chores for Kids
by: Anonymous

I think that having children do chores is a great way to teach them responsibility, and good habits. I was given chores to do every week as a child. There was never anything overly difficult, usually dusting, or emptying the dishwasher.
As I got older, they became more difficult, but I also started to receive an allowance. I may not have enjoyed having to do these things when I was young, but now that I'm older and living on my own, I appreciate that I can take care of myself.

I do have one friend who was never expected to do anything around his house as a child. He now lives on his own, and doesn't know how to clean his own house. I think that is unacceptable. Children should learn responsibilty from a young age, and be able to take pride in their work. I do not have children yet, but I do plan to assign tasks to them when they are old enough. I do plan to give them a small allowance, and I do plan to teach them how to be responsible.